ICYMI: Great White Shark Mary Lee Arrives in Florida

Mary Lee, a 3,456-pound great white shark, that has been making waves across the eastern seaboard for months has decided to make an appearance in the Sunshine State.

The swimming celebrity was tagged east of Daytona Beach Sunday.

Mary Lee is one of the many sharks that have been tagged by OCEARCH, a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching sharks and other apex predators. The group has tagged and released dozens of sharks and provides regular updates on their whereabouts via its website.

Since Mary Lee was tagged off Cape Cod in September 2012, the 16-foot great white has made headlines wherever she’s gone. For the past two years, she’s stuck mainly to the waters off the eastern seaboard from about New York down to Georgia. Sunday’s appearance is the first time she’s been tracked as far south as Daytona, according to OCEARCH’s website.

See Also:

• Katharine the Great White Shark Returns to Florida
• Besty the Great White Shark Swimming Off St. Pete’s Waters

Mary Lee isn’t the only “famous” shark tracked by OCEARCH. Katharine, a 14-footer, also made waves when she appeared of St. Augustine’s coastline in January. Betsy, a 12-foot, 7-inch great white, became a local celebrity when she was spotted swimming off Pinellas County’s coastline in April. Katharine’s last ping was logged June 18, southeast of Bermuda. Besty, meanwhile, was spotted south of Louisiana on June 5.

Mary Lee, however, is arguably one of OCEARCH’s biggest celebrities. She has her own following on Twitter courtesy of the handle @MaryLeeShark. So far, the great white has more than 80,000 followers. Katharine has her own following with nearly 30,000 fans on Twitter. Betsy, the baby of the bunch, also has a small Twitter following.

To learn more about OCEARCH or keep up with Mary Lee’s travels, visit OCEARCH’s website.

Photo of Mary Lee’s tagging courtesy of OCEARCH